Aidoneus
Hades Aidoneus Chthonios, typically referred to as Aidoneus or Aidon, is a protagonist of the Receiver of Many series by Rachel Alexander. The eldest of Kronos and Rhea's children, Aidoneus is the arranged husband of Persephone and King of Chthonia. Appearance Out of all of Kronos’ children, Hades resembles his father the most, with his tall stature, deep brown eyes, long wild black hair and neatly trimmed black beard sitting below his mouth. Due to Prometheus’ training and the decade of battling in the Titanomachy, Hades is rather well muscled. He retains a pallid complexion due to living in the underworld for so long. Aidon is quite meticulous about his appearance, typically keeping himself well groomed. History Hades Aidoneus was conceived after the rape of Rhea by Kronos and as their firstborn child, was the first to be devoured by his father. Aidoneus and his younger siblings—Hestia, Hera, Poseidon, and Demeter—spent years imprisoned by Kronos and over that time, Aidon began to resemble their father more and more, causing his brother and sisters to fear him. When the five siblings were finally freed from their imprisonment, Aidoneus and Demeter were taken in by Hecate as her acolytes and remained in hiding with her in the ether. During the war, Aidoneus was short-tempered and hell-bent on revenge against father. Upon freeing the hosts of the underworld, he was rewarded with the Helm of Darkness, a helmet that can render its owner and whoever they choose invisible. Near the war’s end, a pregnant Demeter, desperate to keep Zeus from leaving her, impulsively took the Helm and attempted to steal Iapetos’ spear. When Iapetos caught her in the act, a frightened Demeter ran to the ether, inadvertently compromising Hades and herself. Hades pulled Iapetos into the underworld and after a grueling battle, finally decapitated him and sent him to Tartarus. That same night, Zeus and Demeter form a peace agreement over the Styx with Hades, swearing that their daughter would be his wife when she came of age. At the end of the Titanomachy, Hades suggested dividing the cosmos amongst Zeus, Poseidon, and himself. As the eldest of the Olympians, Aidon assumed the heavens were to be his birthright, and believed this to be confirmed after receiving the Key of Hades from Nyx. But, because of his betrothal to Persephone, upon drawing the shortest lot from Lachesis, one of the Fates, Hades ended up receiving the underworld as his domain. Hades briefly returned to the world above to inquire Demeter about his betrothed, but the recently heartbroken goddess swore that no Olympian would have her. Aidon, no longer an Olympian, renounced the Olympians’ company and would only return to the living world to retrieve Persephone when she came of age. Bitter over being supposedly cheated from his birthright and Demeter’s stubbornness, Hades isolated himself and resorted to drinking as a coping mechanism. Eventually, Thanatos convinced him to pull himself together and build his kingdom in preparation for Persephone’s fated arrival. Due to having the Key of Hades, Aidon could hear the voices of all the shades in the underworld, as well as the Titans. Kronos would constantly attempt to convince Aidoneus to free him and declare war on the Olympians, using their carelessness to further the temptation. At one point, Hades began to believe his lies and resolved to free his father. But upon hearing the story from the first kinslayer, who was condemned to Tartarus for murdering his brother out of jealousy, and realizing how alike they were, the ashamed Aidoneus abandoned his plan against Olympus. As penance for what he almost did, Aidon ate the asphodel roots that grew in the underworld, eternally binding himself to his domain. In keeping with his oath to Demeter, Hades spent most of his existence in the underworld and, for the sake of staying true to his betrothal, chose not to take any paramours. Hades continued to build the underworld and to mark each century, he would build a new room in the palace. As time went by, he began to appreciate the underworld and accept it as his home. Events Receiver of Many Destroyer of Light Personality To most, Aidoneus comes off as rather taciturn and aloof. However, beneath his cold exterior is a man with many feelings and insecurities though, even after he was scratched by the arrow, he only showes this side of himself to very few people, most notably Persephone. Aidoneus is also kind to his subordinates, often addressing them with familiarity and looking after their well-being. Despite what the mortals fear, Hades is quite reasonable when it comes to judging their souls. He often listens to a shade's side of the story and the reasons as to why they committed a certain sin. However, if a shade has committed a grave atrocity such as mass murder, pedophilia, or a vile act against the gods, Hades will not hesitate to send them to Tartarus. In his younger years, after Kronos swallowed him, Aidoneus was shorter tempered and driven by vengeance against his father. He was very resentful when he first received the underworld, believing he was cheated out of ruling the skies, which he believed was his birthright as the eldest. As he continued to build his kingdom, however, his anger began to subside and he gradually fell in love with his domain. Aidoneus’ relationship with the other gods is rather strained, there are very few Olympians whom he personally respects. As the ruler of the dead, he constantly deals with the aftermath of the Olympians’ irresponsibility and pettiness and is often repulsed by their lack of respect for ananke, the will of the fates. Powers and Abilities References Category:Characters